Broncos agree to trade Demaryius Thomas to Texans

The Denver Broncos are finalizing a trade with the Houston Texans for wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Houston will send a mid-round pick to Denver, per Rapoport.

Thomas (6 feet 3, 229 pounds) was selected by former Broncos coach Josh McDaniels in the first round of the 2010 NFL draft out of Georgia Tech. His career got off to a somewhat slow start with Kyle Orton and Tim Tebow, but Thomas’ numbers exploded when Peyton Manning arrived in Denver in 2012.

During his four years playing with Manning, Thomas hauled in 402 receptions for 5,787 yards and 41 touchdowns. In his four-and-a-half seasons playing without Manning, Thomas has 263 receptions for 3,268 yards and 19 touchdowns.

Thomas was 2,334 yards away from Rod Smith’s all-time receiving record in Denver (11,389) and eight touchdowns away from Smith’s record (68). Thomas set a record with 13 receptions in Super Bowl XLVIII (a mark that has since been broken) and he has been voted to five Pro Bowls during his career. Thomas had just one catch in Denver’s Super Bowl 50 win.

Thomas, who will turn 31 years old on Christmas Day, has a base salary of $8.5 million this season and will be owed $14 million next year, according to Spotrac.com. He is scheduled to become a free agent following the 2019 NFL season.